


The Case of the Crimson Crystals

by RedPaladin465



Category: Final Fantasy Type-0, Untitled Goose Game (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Crossover, Epilogue, Everyone Is Alive, Gen, Humor, Mystery, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 01:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21964360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedPaladin465/pseuds/RedPaladin465
Summary: Class Zero miraculously survives Tempus Finis at the end of the Crystal Age, taken under Khalia Chival VI's wing to be groomed as the next generation of Rubrum's protectors. Now, they must face their most terrifying and challenging task yet- uncovering the thief terrorizing the halls of Akademeia.
Relationships: Ace/Deuce (Final Fantasy Type-0), Cater/Eight (Final Fantasy Type-0), Nine/Sice (Final Fantasy Type-0)
Kudos: 11





	The Case of the Crimson Crystals

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tempest_Type0](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tempest_Type0/gifts).



> HI AMES. MERRY CHRISTMAS. I HOPE THE NOTIFICATION EMAIL SNAGGED YOUR ATTENTION ENOUGH THAT YOU PAUSED PLAYING XIV FOR THIS :P
> 
> REMEMBER HOW I TOLD YOU THAT THE BUTTON WAS HALF YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENT?
> 
> HERE'S THE OTHER HALF.
> 
> -
> 
> Merry Christmas to everyone else reading this! A bit of light-hearted humor for the holidays :) Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy Type-0 or The Untitled Goose Game

“This is too damn early,” Sice growls, pulling her chair back from the table in Central Command and standing in the space between. “It’s our day off, which means I should still be in bed-”

“Quiet,” Queen hisses from a few places down. The silverette rolls her eyes just as the door opens, and Khalia Chival VI walks swiftly into the room with Naghi flanking him, taking his place at the head of the table. He pulls his own chair back, steps in front of it, and then gestures to everyone present.

“Have a seat.”

All fourteen members of Class Zero shuffle forward, their chair legs scraping the tiled floor. Khalia steeples his fingers in front of him, takes a breath, and then looks at the cadets who are awaiting his instruction. They almost didn’t make it, all of them, after the war and Tempus Finis…it is nothing short of a miracle that they all made it out alive, and have bright futures ahead. Not that any of them really came clean with him regarding the events of Tempus Finis and Pandaemonium, but they _are_ back and alive, and each of them are being trained to take over various positions in Akademeia upon their imminent graduation from cadethood,

In short, as their Chancellor and now, he supposed, their stand-in father figure, he couldn’t be prouder. He clears his throat before speaking.

“I have gathered you all here today both as the elite cadets of Akademeia and the next generation of Rubrum’s protectors. There’s been…a problem.”

Everyone snaps to attention. To absolutely _no one’s_ surprise, Machina is the first to speak up. “What kind of problem, sir?” he asks, eyes hard and fingers twitching. Across the table, Ace narrows his eyes at this tick- Machina is ready to fight. He readies himself to interfere…just in case.

Khalia bows his head. “There’s been a break-in in the catacombs.”

None of them can help the gasps that slip between their lips at this pronouncement, shock evident on their faces. None of them, except Deuce and Rem, sitting quietly across the table from each other.

“What would someone want with a bunch of dead bodies, yo?”

Evidently, and definitely in-character, Nine misses the point _completely_. Lightning crackles across the table as Seven fires off a weak Thunder RF at the ridiculous dragoon who lets out an indignant yelp, unable to escape the spell. Sice groans and puts a hand over her face. Of all the men in Orience she could have chosen, she ends up with _this_ idiot.

“Not the…bodies, Nine,” Deuce speaks up, her hands trembling slightly. They’re stilled when Ace, sitting next to her, slips them into his under the table, bolstering her for the words that come out of her mouth next. “The l’Cie crystals. Someone’s been desecrating them, chipping away at them and defacing them.”

Realization dawns on Ace’s face. “That’s what you wanted to talk to me about earlier before we were interrupted?” he whispers to her. Deuce nods, their eyes meeting. “And why you’ve been gone all morning?”

“Yes,” Khalia says, addressing them all. “Someone has been breaking into the catacombs and defacing the crystals of the l’Cie who have protected Rubrum throughout the Crystal Age. I enlisted the help of Deuce and Rem earlier this morning to put up wards in the catacombs, but I fear that it will not be enough to catch the one behind this.”

More pieces fall into place, Deuce’s trembling making even more sense- she had to go down to the catacombs with Rem and the Chancellor earlier that day- no wonder she’s scared. Ace knows better than anyone her fear of places like those; he gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, brushing his thumb across her knuckles.

“We only just found out about the intruder’s movements last night when one of the sentries mentioned hearing an odd sound, then discovering Lord Zhuyu’s crystal with pieces just…missing,” Naghi says, providing a little more information.

Rem nods, folding her hands together on the table in front of her. “Deuce and I managed to figure out a spell that will allow us to trap the one who is responsible for this, we did. The spell acts like a ward, and will not allow a person without clearance based on their phantoma signature back out of the catacombs without the Chancellor or ourselves to let them out. We’ve also set up a logging system for it, where anyone in and out of those catacombs will be logged. Those who have clearance will be logged as well, to ensure that no one is stealing anything. The logs will alert Deuce, the Chancellor, and myself if anyone without clearance crosses the ward lines.”

To her right, King leans back in his chair, his expression tight. “Let’s hope that’s enough to stop them.”

* * *

There aren’t many things that feel better than a cold swig of beer after a mission well-done, Nine thinks as he takes a huge, appreciative swig from the glass in front of him. The Ready Room is thankfully mostly empty during this time, with most cadets in class while Class Zero continues their regular missions and patrols from the war. It’s like Ace says all the time- they can never be too careful. Although, what’s there to really be careful about? They can just raze everything to the ground. Nine takes in one more mouthful before putting the glass down, his hand reaching down to his pockets for the l’Cie crystal he had found earlier on his mission out in the Old Lorica region. He would need to pass the crystal onto Atra next time he-

The feeling of nothing hitting his fingers jolts him out of his thoughts, his hand immediately plunging into his pant pockets to feel around for what is very obviously _not_ there. Nine does a frantic sweep of the floor around his stool, but to no avail. He even checks underneath the tables next to him, but the crystal, the one he _knows_ for sure he found just that day, the one that was _most definitely_ in his pocket a mere fifteen minutes ago, has disappeared.

His lets his head fall forward to land on the table with a loud _thunk_.

* * *

Nine finally finds Ace, unsurprisingly, in the Crystarium, and his reaction to the missing piece of l’Cie crystal is just as expected- his eyes harden, brows furrow, and he immediately triggers his COMM to reach-

“Deuce?”

He can’t hear what she’s saying at the other end of the link, but whatever it is, it causes Ace’s left hand, the one not pressed up against his COMM, to ball up into a fist.

“No, it’s just- did your spell log anyone coming and going today in the catacombs? Nine just told me- yeah. He had a l’Cie crystal, it’s gone. Right. Okay. I love you.”

The connection ends, and the look on Ace’s face expels every question Nine had. “Deuce said that there was no sign of a break-in from the spell. No one’s been caught yet, but be on your guard, even on Akademeia grounds. It could be anyone.”

* * *

A hand gently squeezing his is what wakes him up, his body immediately on high alert, only to relax when Ace sees his girlfriend’s face hovering nervously above him.

“Deuce?” he mumbles sleepily. “What are you doing awake? Go back to sleep-”

“Ace,” she cuts him off, biting her lip- the first sure sign that something is incredibly wrong. Ace sits up, suddenly hyper aware of his surroundings. Deuce gathers her courage before continuing. “It’s the wards. Someone’s down in the catacombs _right now_.”

There isn’t a moment to lose. His strategist brain kicks in nearly instantaneously, grabbing his COMM from the bedside table and waking up the lightest sleeper of the group just as Deuce’s COMM sounds from the nightstand next to her. “Eight? Eight, do you copy?”

A groan sounds from the COMM, but Eight’s sleepy voice comes through anyway. “I copy. What’s up?”

“Deuce says there’s someone down in the catacombs right now.” Ace doesn’t waste a single moment; he’s already half-dressed and nearly ready to go as Deuce hurriedly throws warm clothes on. “We need to go and check it out.”

“Roger that; Cater and I are on our way.”

The COMM cuts out, and Deuce turns to him, quickly tying her hair back. “Rem,” she explains, pulling her ribbon into place. “The spell woke her up too. I told her we’re going to go check it out and for her to stay here to keep an eye out to see if anything changes.”

As soon as they’re out of Ace’s room, Cater’s door opens to reveal Eight summoning and then dematerializing his gauntlets, and Cater rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she shoulders her magicite pack. Instantly, Eight’s eyes soften when he turns to her. “You can stay and sleep some more,” he says gently.

Evidently, _that_ wakes her up. She snaps to attention then, stifling a yawn before waving him off, then grabbing Deuce’s wrist and leading the charge out of Class Zero’s private rooms. The boys share a look, and they’re off, into the Great Portal and down to the Entrance Hall to cross the completely empty halls to Classroom Zero. It’s eerily quiet in the dead of night, and Ace becomes even more alert when his mind wanders to what sort of opposition they would encounter in the catacombs. Their footsteps echo in the large, open area, and the door to their hallway creaks louder than it ever has before when Cater pushes it open.

Their steps are muffled slightly by the carpet, but Ace relays a series of silent instructions then, the small party reshaping themselves to a more strategic form. Cater takes point as their longest ranged fighter, Deuce behind her to offer support, Eight next to Deuce to provide protection and attack from the sides if anything were to try to break their ranks, leaving Ace to take up the rear, able to provide cover fire for Cater if necessary, and having the quickest attacks should anything attempt to attack them from behind.

They make their way down the steps in their classroom out to the back garden, and push open the gate to the Cemetery. Deuce very visibly winces when the metal groans and squeaks, and even Cater looks a little worried- that could have given them away. She steels herself and readies her pistol, and they cross the Cemetery to reach the entrance to the catacombs. Just before entering, Ace takes Deuce’s hand, his eyes questioning, a question she answers with a concentrated look, and then a slight shake of her head.

Her magic doesn’t log anyone down there, but she definitely feels someone disturbing the wards.

He lets go of her, preparing for battle, and then nods to Cater, who is now wide awake, alert, and ready for a fight.

Their descent is dark, lit only by the torches on the walls that burn with constant fire spells placed too far between each other. Deuce is trembling, but she squares her shoulders and soldiers on behind Cater’s careful steps, ignoring the dark hallways and turns until they reach the very bottom of the catacombs where the l’Cie crystals are kept. Her trained eyes squint, making out the faint traces of the magic she and Rem worked in this place, and sees where they had been crossed. She isn’t sure what bothers her more- that there is someone who cares enough to come down to desecrate crystals of protectors long gone, or if that someone is able to cross her wards and have her not recognize their phantoma signature, _and_ without her logs being disturbed.

Palm up, she summons a weak fire spell, holding the flame up in her hand to provide more light. The long hallway, lined with crystals of the l’Cie, lights up with the dancing flames reflecting and refracting off of each other. Cater holds her pistol out in front of her, her scouting instincts guiding her down the hallway until her eagle eyes catch something off about the crystal immediately to her right.

“Oh no,” she breathes.

Lady Kiyosaki’s crystal is a sight to behold, beautiful and bright, the woman gracefully immortalized in her ethereal tomb. Amongst the sharp edges, though, are ugly, uneven, broken pieces- even a piece of the lady’s robes is evidently and obviously broken off, leaving behind a blunt, jagged stump. They all zero in on it, Ace’s eyes scanning over the rest of the crystal to see what other damage has been done before they sweep up and down the hallway to see if he can spot any more damage done on the other crystals. Nearby, he can see the way Lord Zhuyu’s crystal is broken, just as Naghi said in their meeting with the Chancellor.

He holds an arm out to the others to command silence, but the four cadets don’t hear _anything_. The air and its surroundings are as still and dead as its inhabitants. Deuce fights back another violent shiver, gripping her flute so tightly in her right hand that her knuckles turn white. Eight looks to her for confirmation, and again, she shakes her head- there’s no obvious or recognizable signature around them. Whoever it is that was down there tonight…there is no way to catch them now.

* * *

Cater’s head is buried in her arms on top of the table as the rest of Class Zero bustles around after their breakfast the next morning.

“Why didn’t you wake me up, yo?!” Nine demands. “They took my crystal too, hey!”

Queen’s eyebrows furrow at his question; she tilts her head to the side, resting her chin on her right hand, and makes no move to answer. Seven looks at Nine with a deadpan expression, crossing her arms. “You wouldn’t have woken up anyway, with how heavy you sleep.”

“Hey! Sice could have woken me up, yo!”

“Yeah,” the silverette chimes in, nearly slamming her glass of juice onto the table. “We could have run this bastard down!”

“What’s past is past,” Eight interjects tiredly from his spot next to Cater. “We’re still stuck with the same questions as before. We still don’t know who did it, or even if the person who took Nine’s crystal is the same one who’s been wrecking the l’Cie crystals in the catacombs.”

Trey put his book down, his right hand coming up in an elaborate gesture. “Eight is correct, but probability is in our favor that Nine’s crystal was taken by the very same person. What we need to get to the bottom of is who, why, and how. The catacombs are guarded by powerful magic, and Deuce and Rem’s spells have only made the wards even stronger. Why would anyone venture into such a warded area to desecrate the l’Cie crystals? How are the wards not logging their phantoma signature or even recognize them, though they’ve clearly been disturbed? Just how powerful would one need to be to be able to mask their phantoma at will? And what use do they have for these crystals?”

There is a moment of silence as they absorb the questions posed, their minds running through each possibility before Cinque leaps to her feet, raising her hand in the air. King looks at her, waiting.

“Cinquey’s been thinking,” she starts off, lowering her hand and twisting her body around. “Deucey and Remski’s magic abilities are _soooooo_ strong, so there shouldn’t be a way for anyone to actually get the crystals, right? But what if we’re not looking for a person?”

Dead silence.

“Yes!” Queen exclaims, lilac eyes shining with excitement. “I’ve been thinking that too- Deuce, you said the spell was designed to trap anyone who entered the area without a cleared phantoma signature, right? And it logs everyone going down there so that you, Rem, and the Chancellor will all know who it is?”

Deuce looks at Ace, then nods the affirmative. “Yes.”

“Well,” the class president continues. “It’s like Cinque said. What if we’re not able to trap whoever it is, because…it isn’t a person at all?”

The sound of glass smashing onto the floor draws everyone’s attention (and nerves) to the kitchen doorway where Machina is standing stock-still, the plates in his hands shattered in pieces around his feet. His green eyes are wide, breaths coming out in short pants. Rem immediately stands up, carefully stepping over the glass to him.

“Machina?” she calls his name softly, carefully putting a hand on his arm.

“Not a person at all…” he whispers, looking right at Queen. “You mean like…a ghost?!”

His breaths come faster, and Rem does her best to try to calm him down, rubbing her hand up and down his back. King bites back a sigh, but Sice has no such restraint. She throws her head back, howling with unbelievable laughter. “You can use magic, have _literally_ been a l’Cie, experienced a death trap temple that was creepy as hell-”

“Even though he didn’t actually go through it with us,” Jack cut in, eyes dancing with mirth.

“-Killed your girlfriend, became crystal when you entered crystal stasis, brought back to life, and you’re freaked out by _ghosts_?!”

Ace can’t help the slight tilt of his lips, no matter how hard he fought to push them down. A deep blush rose in Machina’s cheeks. “That’s- that’s different!” he sputters. “Ghosts are different!”

Everyone laughs, chuckles, giggles- sounds that they had, at one point, all thought they’d never hear again from the beloved people around them.

“All right,” King says as the laughter tapers off. “We need a plan. Queen?”

* * *

Sunlight streams in from the tall windows in the Entrance Hall, bathing the area in a warm light. There’s a welcoming atmosphere in the air, the feeling of another peaceful day passing by in Rubrum- save for the emptiness of the grand Hall. Spaces that were once filled with footsteps and conversation by cadets and tribunes and legionaries and guests alike are silent, foreboding, completely out of place on an afternoon such as this.

The sunlight catches on to a lone object lounging by the side of the fountain in the Hall, gleaming brilliantly in the water below and the tiled floors in front, shining temptingly at each passerby- had there been any passerbys. The entire area is clear and empty today, everyone having been duly warned to stay out of the Entrance Hall…save for the fourteen teenagers lying in wait around their bait. Eight and Jack, being both fast and close-range attackers, flank the rest of Class Zero where they crouch at the two mezzanines on both sides of the staircases leading up to Central Command, the Class having lined the bannisters with black cloth earlier in order to give them some coverage. Just behind them are Sice, Queen, Machina, and Rem, ready to provide short-mid-range and magical support. Seven and Nine crouch above them, Seven’s whipblade covering her need for distance and Nine’s speed unmatched while in the air.

Above _them_ , waiting to the left and right corners at the top of the staircases are King, Cater, and Trey with their backs pressed against the wall and long-ranged weapons at the ready. Just in front of them, right outside the doors to Central Command, are Ace, Deuce, and Cinque- Ace with his ranged magical abilities, Deuce’s magic and support, and Cinque ready to drop from the bannister to the fountain below while summoning her mace for a hard hit on the perpetrator.

They are ready. Have been ready since Queen, Ace, and Trey worked out their strategy just two nights prior. Each person prepares themselves for battle, having no idea what to expect, and when the Great Portal glows red in signal of its activation, they grip their weapons tighter. It could be anything- anyone. There’s no telling what sort of person would desecrate the catacombs of past protectors of the Dominion, and Ace hopes, prays, that no Militesi soldier is stupid enough to do so and possibly cause another war. When the Portal flares a bright crimson, he summons a card into his hand, his magic humming and flowing through him.

Adrenaline runs through each of them, their bodies coiled tightly and prepared to spring at a second’s notice as soon as their thief shows itself-

And that’s precisely why all of them nearly fall over in surprise and shock, frozen in their spots, when a small figure emerges from the Portal instead of a person, its gaze immediately zeroing in on the l’Cie crystal carefully placed at the fountain, and makes its way toward its prize. There’s no mistaking the tiny body, the menacing amble, the white feathers-

“What the…” Nine breathes, unable to believe his eyes.

The perpetrator shuffles forward, neck low as it examines the crystal in front of it.

“What the _shit_ ,” the lancer whispers under his breath. “ _Why the shit is there a duck here_?!”

Queen momentarily recovers from her shock to whip her head toward him, her eyes still so wide. “That’s…a goose, Nine.”

Everyone in Class Zero watches as the goose below appraises the crystal, then turns to look around at each other in disbelief, at a sudden loss at what to do next.

“Um…” Deuce manages to get out, drawing everyone’s attention. “W-well…um…”

“Well,” Cater says, saving her from her surprised stutters. She walks to the front of the bannister, flanked by King and Trey, their need for the element of surprise completely blown and rendered unnecessary. “This explains why your wards didn’t work, Deuce, Rem- it wasn’t a person, it’s an _animal_ -”

“Still doesn’t explain how the goose managed to get to the Ready Room to take Nine’s crystal though,” King murmurs, deep in thought.

Eight puts a hand onto his chin. “Maybe it just…got lucky and hid under the tables?” He hesitantly replies. “It sounds unlikely, but there’s no other possible way, and how would an entire goose not be noticed in a Ready Room with Agito cadets-”

Sice dismisses her scythe, training her gaze onto Machina before promptly bursting out in cackles. “A _ghost_ ,” she manages to wheeze out. “A _ghost-_ ”

Before she can mortify him any further, Seven cuts her off, her whipblade dismissed and her finger pointing accusingly at the goose now with the l’Cie crystal held tightly in its beak. “That’s one question answered,” she says. “But that goose is escaping _with our bait._ ”

Jack, stationed on the mezzanine below her, nearly falls over, his laughter coming out in short spurts as he wipes tears from his eyes. He’s laughing so hard that he can’t even bring himself to re-summon his katana to attack, and when Seven turns her uncertain, expectant eyes up to Trey, Cater, Ace, and King at the top of the stairs, the Class’ long-ranged attackers, they all take a step back. Detaining a criminal, sure, any day, but killing an animal voluntarily, one that hasn’t actually done anything to them, one that is virtually defenseless- none of them are willing to cross that line.

Seeing their reaction, Machina sighs, coming to a single conclusion. If _they_ aren’t going to get the job done…someone has to. He squares his shoulders, dismisses his bolt rapiers, and then leaps from the second set of stairs down to the ground below, cautiously approaching the goose that has now stopped in its tracks back to the Great Portal, watching him instead. When the goose doesn’t move and Machina gets close enough, quick as lightning, he stretches out his hand and swipes the crystal from the goose’s beak. Satisfied with his work, Machina is about to turn away and walk back to his classmates when he feels a stinging pain in the back of his leg, and then a strong force sends him sprawling to the ground, sliding forward a few feet.

He dimly hears Sice’s familiar snicker and Jack’s howling laughter in the background, but when he looks back at his attacker, he sees the goose’s tail swaying as it walks away from him with the crystal he dropped back in its beak.

“ _Hey_!” Machina yells indignantly, annoyance bubbling to the surface as he stands and angrily approaches the goose again. This time, he forcefully marches over and grabs the crystal from its hold, his fingers wrapped tightly around it when he stalks away, pedaling backwards- there’s obviously more to this goose than meets the eye, and there is no way he is going to take his eyes off of it during his retreat. He is caught fully unaware when the goose spreads its wings, suddenly rushing at him with a loud, guttural, “ _HYONK HYONK HYONK_!!” that terrifies him in a way no Militesi MA has managed thus far. In shock, he trips over his own feet and lands on his behind on the hard floor, hands barely managing to stop his fall.

In stopping himself from fully bruising his tailbone though, he let go of the l’Cie crystal, and the goose wastes no time in scooping it up and making a run for the Great Portal with it in its beak.

For a moment, everything is silent, everyone still in shock.

Then, unsurprisingly, that moment is broken when Jack’s nervous laughter comes through. Cinque sighs, dismisses her weapon, and hops down from the ledge to where Machina is still on the ground. She completely ignores him, walking to the Portal instead and concentrating, then steps into it and the Portal flares red as she disappears.

No one moves.

“What the shit,” Nine whispers.

* * *

Minutes later, Cinque returns to the Entrance Hall to see everyone exactly where they were when she left, and steps out of the Portal looking thoughtful.

“Cinque?” Queen asks, waiting for the ditzy girl’s closet genius to come through. She is not disappointed.

“Cinquey knows where the crystals are,” she replies almost gravely. “It had to be inside of Akademeia since it used the Portal, right? Somewhere no one will think it’s weird that a goose is there, somewhere with a lot of space and hiding room…”

Trey snaps his fingers. “The chocobo ranch, of course.”

Ace reaches beside him for Deuce’s hand. “All right,” he says. “New plan.”

* * *

Plans are much simpler with only one person to worry about, and as far as this one goes, the simpler, the better. Trey stretches out his bowstring as he lays in wait in the Altocrystarium, just behind the structure, his eyes trained on the l’Cie crystal in front of the stone monument. Cater and Eight had run out to track down a crystal- the l’Cie Suzusu’s crystal- in Meroe earlier that day, and now, the trap is resprung. He isn’t quite sure how the goose will smell out the crystal all the way in here, but given the bird’s tenacity and detective abilities to find the crystals in the catacombs and the Entrance Hall in the first place, there must be a way.

Ace had wasted no time in concocting this plan. Cater and Eight will track down the crystal and bring it back to Akademeia, they will set the trap again somewhere far, far from the chocobo ranch, and then someone will keep the goose from stealing yet another piece of crystal while the rest of Class Zero goes to retrieve the stash of already stolen crystals from the chocobo ranch (where Cinque had found an entire nest in the back of one of the chocobo stalls).

Simple in theory, simple in execution.

He ducks further behind the structure when he sees the familiar crimson flare from the Portal, and as they suspected, the goose ambles forward with its eyes on its prize- the crystal glittering just ten feet in front of Trey. Without his classmates beside him, the only question he needs to answer himself is this: what to do with the goose?

He cannot let it escape with the crystal, nor can he let the goose go in fear of the problem returning, the desecration of crystals becoming an ever-present cycle. During their showdown before in the Entrance Hall, Trey could not take the goose down, that much is true. However…

However.

However.

What the goose doesn’t know is that Trey is in charge of dinner that night, so technically, _technically_ , he is killing two birds with one arrow. The goose’s death will serve purpose.

He draws an arrow and nocks it with practiced ease, not taking his eyes off of the crystal for a single moment. It is only when the goose reaches the stone, its feet stopping just in front of it, does the bird look up to where he is hiding with unblinking beady black eyes, and Class Zero’s number three feels a sinking dread in his stomach that he has felt only twice before- once in Pandaemonium and once realizing their imminent demise before their untimely and miraculous rescue after their return to Akademeia.

 _It knows_.

The archer rises from his hiding spot as the goose stares at him, unflinching. He draws his bow up and the arrow back, feeling the familiar movements calm him, his breath evening out to a steady in, out, in, out as he takes his aim.

He’s got it in his sight. The bird must feel its oncoming doom; it doesn’t move an inch, doesn’t even tilt its head to regard him.

It’s going to be a good dinner. Trey is a fantastic hunter and a great cook.

Just as he moves to loosen his arrow, the Portal flares to life behind the goose, and he stills, in case it’s one of his classmates, though that would be completely going against the plan- none of them are supposed to be here right now. Therefore, it is to his complete surprise when out steps two more geese, their beady little eyes zeroing in on him almost the instant they start walking up to what he has dubbed The Goose.

 _That’s right_ , Trey thinks to himself, lowering his bow and nocking two more arrows. One goose is not enough to feed all of Class Zero.

His mistake, he realizes when he later thinks back on the events that transpired in that room, that room that the geese shouldn’t even _know_ how to access, is that he kept his eyes trained on the three geese in front of him, and completely missed another one snooping up next to him.

Ask Trey any moment before then, he would have answered that animals such as these are not capable of higher thinking and coordinated attacks. It is what happens next that has him in the Crystarium at all hours of the day and night that he can spare with his head buried in tomes filled with information about these birds, seeking answers as to how exactly all of this managed to happen.

The fourth goose, which must have been lying in wait for him, suddenly jabs its neck forward and takes his bow in its beak, the weapon loosened from his grasp in his surprise, and makes off with it toward its compatriots. All the birds hastily run back to the Portal, l’Cie crystal forgotten, and Trey’s arms hanging by his side while his mouth is wide open in shock before he remembers he can simply summon his weapon back into his hands.

The week after that is when he hears a few of the Class First cadets complaining about their weapons going missing.


End file.
